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Sony Crackle
| location_city = Culver City, California | locations = | area_served = North America Central America South America | services = Digital streaming | owner = Sony | num_employees = | parent = Sony Pictures Entertainment | location_country = United States | homepage = }} Sony Crackle is a United States–based subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment that provides ad-supported video entertainment content in the form of streaming media. Its library consists of original long-form content as well as programming acquired from other production companies. The streaming network is available in 21 countries and is accessible on connected devices including mobile (iOS or Android), tablet, smart TVs, desktop, and through gaming consoles. It can also be seen in-flight on American Airlines and in Marriott Hotels. Originally known as Grouper, and later renamed to Crackle, the name of the streaming service was officially changed to Sony Crackle on January 14, 2018. History 2007–2013 Sony Crackle was founded as Grouper by Josh Felser, Dave Samuel, Mike Sitrin, and Aviv Eyal in 2004. In August 2006, Sony purchased the online video site Grouper for $65 million. In July 2007, Sony announced that Grouper would be rebranded and repurposed as Crackle, a multi-platform video-entertainment network and studio featuring full-length movies and television shows from Sony's library, and would produce original content made for the internet. In late 2008, San Francisco–based Crackle was moved to Sony's Culver City base to be formally folded into the studio's digital content operations. In March 2011, Crackle became available for streaming across PS3, Roku boxes, Sony Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs. In April 2011, Crackle announced that it would release apps for iOS and Android systems in June of the same year. Crackle also partnered with Xbox Live, making its content available for Xbox 360. In June 2013, Crackle released an app for the BlackBerry 10 platform. In December 2013, Crackle made its content available for the Apple TV set-top box. In January 2012, Crackle added Animax to its content, available to viewers in the US and Canada. Towards the end of 2013, the Animax branding was removed. In Australia, Crackle became the free-to-air home of Sony's popular American soap opera Days of Our Lives after the television broadcaster Nine Network axed the series after 45 years. Several anime shows from Funimation (some outsourced from Animax and others, since November 20, 2013, directly from Funimation) are streamed on Sony Crackle. On July 31, 2017, Sony Pictures Television announced that it would buy a controlling 95% stake in Funimation for $143 million, a deal that was approved by the United States Department of Justice on August 22, 2017, and closed on October 27, 2017. 2014–2017 On April 1, 2014, Sony Pictures Television ceased its Crackle operations in the UK and Australia almost four years after Crackle had expanded into the UK. Crackle UK had struggled to gain a large audience due to other competitors like LoveFilm and Netflix. Two days later, NBCUniversal Television & New Media Distribution struck a multi-year deal with Crackle to have more than 140 of NBCUni's feature films streamed. Crackle shut down its UK service in April 2014 without prior notice. On April 30, 2014, Crackle announced it would begin carrying Sports Jeopardy!, which as its name implies is a sports-themed version of the syndicated game show Jeopardy!, beginning that fall. Dan Patrick will host the series. Approximately one week after the cancellation of the theatrical release of The Interview, in the aftermath of the Sony hack, the New York Post reported that Sony would release the movie for free, on Crackle. On April 14, 2015, Crackle held its first-ever upfront presentation. During the event, it announced a new feature dubbed "Always On"; a linear, ad-supported, internet television channel similar to Vevo TV. Among the new programs announced was Crackle's first animated series, SuperMansion; their first hour long scripted drama, The Art of More; and Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, a sequel to 2001's Joe Dirt being touted as the first ever "made-for-digital" movie sequel. On June 4, 2015, Crackle announced a new collaboration between Moat and Freewheel in the industry's first-ever comprehensive system to track viewable ad measurement across connected TV. On October 8, 2015, Crackle premiered SuperMansion, a stop-motion animated comedy television series created by Matthew Senreich and Zeb Wells. The series stars Bryan Cranston, Heidi Gardner, Tucker Gilmore, Keegan-Michael Key, Tom Root, Yvette Nicole Brown, Zeb Wells, and Jillian Bell. Emmy-nominated Season 2 premiered February 16, 2017, followed by an original Halloween special, SuperMansion: Drag Me to Halloween, that premiered October 5. Season 3 is expected in 2018. On April 20, 2016, Crackle announced an innovative advertising solution that replaces convention at their upfront presentation called "BreakFree" advertising. The BreakFree experience promotes binge viewing of Crackle's original shows while creating a story narrative for advertisers. In addition, Crackle unveiled a new virtual reality strategy allowing advertisers to reach consumers through dynamic VR experiences. Designed to immerse and engage viewers, Sony's ad-supported streaming service is the first ever AVOD network to provide brands with advertising opportunities and marketing initiatives that take advantage of this latest disruptive technology. On January 17, 2017, it was announced that Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee would move to Netflix. On April 19, 2017, the AVOD service released results of new research study that identifies a new and highly coveted psychographic segment called "Connected Entertainment Enthusiasts". This segment is the first generation of gamers who use the game console beyond gaming. It is the preferred entertainment hub of their household for streaming TV, movies and for video games making them hard to reach through traditional media outlets. In addition, Crackle announced a VR companion piece to their original drama series Snatch, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2017. Crackle also announced at the 2017 upfront presentation that the free ad-supported service would greenlight new scripted original drama The Oath, written and created by former Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy Joe Halpin. Executive produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and his G-Unit Film & Television Inc., the series explores a different kind of subculture—gangs made up of those sworn to protect and defend. The drama stars Sean Bean, Ryan Kwanten, Cory Hardrict, Arlen Escarpeta, Katrina Law, and J.J. Soria. The series premiered March 8, 2018. In November 2017, Eric Berger was upped to chief digital officer, Sony Pictures Television Networks, in addition to his role as GM, Crackle. 2018–present On January 14, 2018, Crackle presented at the Television Critics Association Winter 2018 Press Tour in Pasadena, California, where Eric Berger announced that the service would change its name to Sony Crackle in spring 2018. In addition to presenting a panel in support of The Oath, the network also released a new trailer and key art for the 10-episode series that premiered March 8, 2018. The network also announced the development of two new series: The Butcher, produced by Douglas Urbanski and Gary Oldman, and Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy, starring and written by Rob Riggle. The network also announced the acquisition of the comedy-horror Office Uprising for release summer 2018. ' ' Returning series news included the start of production on Season 2 of Snatch in Spain's Costa Del Sol and the announcement that Kevin Connolly will direct several episodes. Also, season three of "StartUp" begins shooting this month in Puerto Rico with new additions to the cast, including Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino. Plus, all-new weekly episodes of "SuperMansion" returned in April, with special guest Mikey Day, and the network announced plans for a new special in summer 2018. Snatch VR Heist Experience debuted on PlayStation VR January 16 , and a VR experience for "In the Cloud" launched February 1, ahead of the February 8 movie premiere. On March 8, 2018, The Oath premiered. On March 7, Sony Crackle hosted a premiere event for the series on the Sony lot in Culver City. Guests included executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as well as the cast and crew. On April 24, 2018, Sony Crackle held an upfront presentation at Sony headquarters in New York. Programming Sony Crackle features programming in the following key genres: action, comedy, crime, drama, horror, and sci-fi. Original programming Movie and TV library Sony Crackle features many films from Sony Pictures and its subsidiaries, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Funimation, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, and broadcast rights to Embassy Pictures and Morgan Creek Productions. Crackle also offers Sony Pictures Television series, including Damages, Rescue Me, The Shield, and Seinfeld. Its content refreshes monthly, with titles being added and taken down. Content partners * 20th Century Fox * Aniplex * Discotek Media * Entertainment One/Alliance Films (Canada only) * FOX Digital * Legendary Pictures/Legendary Digital Media * Lions Gate Entertainment * Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer * Miramax * Paramount Pictures * RatPac-Dune Entertainment * Red Bull * Revolution Studios * SnagFilms * StudioCanal (Europe only) * The Walt Disney Company * TOEI * The Weinstein Company/Dimension Films * Universal Studios * Village Roadshow Entertainment Group * Warner Bros./New Line Cinema Availability Sony Crackle is available in 21 countries and three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Sony Crackle officially launched in Canada in September 2010. Beginning in late 2015, several of the service's original series were made available only through local services Shomi and Crave TV. Following the closure of Shomi in fall 2016, new productions continued to be released exclusively on Crave TV, as well as Amazon Prime Video and Super Channel. Crackle's Canadian operations shut down on June 28, 2018, with its content moving to Bell Media's newly-launched CTV Movies and CTV Throwback services. As of late 2016, Sony Crackle is no longer offered as a free service in Latin America. Instead, it is offered as an ad-free premium service. It is required to be a subscriber of a pay TV provider that has partnered with Sony Crackle in order to register as a member to access and pay for the service. See also * Sony LIV * Video on demand References External links * Category:Advertising video on demand Category:Former video hosting services Category:Social networking services Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment Category:Sony Pictures Television Category:Video on demand services Category:Internet properties established in 2007 Category:Windows software